Hiding In Plain Sight
by Blossoming Nightshade
Summary: Reid is in an abusive relationship and trying to hide it, but on the newest case they work, the walls come crumbling down. see warnings inside.


This story contains bondage, non-con sex, abuse and slight blood play. please do not read if this bothers you. It does have a happy ending though. And i could be persuaded to write a second chapter. :D

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><p>"Anyone entrusted with power will <strong>abuse<strong> it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people."

Jean de La Fontaine

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><p>It started innocently enough, it began with respect, but after a while Reid realized that he was in love with his boss. He wasn't sure when it began. Was it the philosophical talks over countless games of chess? Maybe it was the fact that Hotch was the only one on the team who memorized how Reid drank his coffee. Or was it the way Hotch always grounded him, kept him sane even in the worst situations? Reid didn't know, but he knew several things. One; Hotch was married with a kid, or was once married anyway, in short terms-straight. Two; Hotch was his boss, and fraternization rules were in place for a reason. And three; Hotch was way out of his league.<p>

But there were moments that they shared, brief accidental touching of the fingers when grabbing coffee cups, moments where they would finish each other's sentences or thoughts, even times when Hotch would smile as Reid babbled on about statistics instead of asking him to be quiet like the rest of the team does. Especially those moments.

But Reid knew he had to move on, it would just never happen between Hotch and himself, and he wasn't fool enough to hope. He met a man in a bar and a drink later they were exchanging numbers. They went on one date, then one turned into two, and two turned into three, and before long they had been together for a couple months. Somehow, in the whirl of it all, in the excitement of finding someone, Reid became unknowingly trapped. His boyfriend was no longer the kind man he met at the bar. It began slowly as the sex became rougher, soon it moved outside of the bedroom and punches were landed, apologies soon followed afterwards, and eventually, it was just punches. Harder, more often, and with no apology mumbled afterwards.

Reid began to notice patterns, if he was out later than usual, he could expect a punishment; if he was gone for more than a few days, punishment, if he didn't call every day, if he talked back or argued, if he mentioned Hotch…_especially_ if he mentioned Hotch.

After a while Reid knew he needed to call it off, but he was scared. The courage eluded him when he stepped in the house and saw his boyfriend waiting for him. It reminded him of Henkel, the despair, the helplessness, the darkness engulfing him, and the complete and utter terror. But this time, the team wasn't watching and no matter how much he wished it, Hotch would not be there with open arms ready to hold Reid and comfort him.

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><p>The team was in the conference room, waiting to be briefed by JJ, discussing classic movies when Reid was talking about the importance of Das Boot and its influence to the culture at the time, arms gesturing animatedly. Unfortunately for Reid his sleeve slipped up a little too far, revealing a very nasty purple bruise, and of course, Morgan had to point it out.<p>

"Pretty Boy, what happened to your arm?" The whole team looked at him as he pulled his sleeve down while curling in on himself.

"I slipped on the steps outside my apartment while carrying groceries." Everyone but Morgan seemed to buy it, but Reid didn't notice, he was too busy looking at his shoes, lost in the despair that washed over him. Hotch entered the room with JJ and began the briefing, and thirty minutes later they were getting ready for the plane. Reid was getting a last cup of coffee before take-off as Derek made tea next to him when his phone rang. Reid pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller id; Morgan noticed the worry etched in his face before he walked out of the tiny room into the hallway.

"Hey, what's up?" Morgan watched Reid's expressions, taking note of what he said during the call.

"I left the voicemail…well you weren't answering…yes…I'm sorry…I don't know how long the case will take, maybe a week or two…you know I can't help it, I leave when the job calls...i wasn't talking back to you I was just explaining-"

Morgan watched Reid's face scrunch up and pull the phone away slightly as the person on the other end yelled.

"No..no…I'm sorry...I am sorry… I have to go, the plane is getting ready to leave. Yes, I know…bye."

Reid ran his hands through his hair, straightening up and walking back in the room.

"Hey. What was that about? Everything okay?" Morgan asked

"Oh, yea, of course. Just the doctor calling about my mom." Reid walked on, grabbing his go bag as he hurried to the plane, JJ, Prentiss, and Rossi already on and ready. Hotch made his way on and asked if everyone was ready as Morgan made it on and sat down across from Reid. He studied his friend as he put the cup down in front of him.

"Here's your coffee." Reid plastered a small smile on his face

"Thanks, I guess I forgot about it." Reid said and went back to reading the case file. JJ and Emily exchanged glances as Hotch looked at Morgan, then to Reid.

"Reid, you never forget your coffee." Hotch stated as Rossi observed the young agents face.

"Guess I'm just having an off day." he with a smile on his face, but Reid was a fool if he didn't think his best friend and Hotch wouldn't notice how the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

An hour later and everyone except Morgan and Hotch were asleep. Reid was asleep on the seats, curled in on himself, as opposed to the usual stretching out, he turned and then stilled, his body catching up on the much needed sleep.

Hotchner was sitting next to Morgan going over the details of the case when the younger man stilled.

"Morgan? What is it? What are you thinking?" Hotch asked as he looked up at the man seeing him still with the file in his hand, a troubled look on his face.

"I was just wondering…"

"Wondering what?" Hotch asked confused.

"How Reid might have managed to get that?" Hotch followed Morgan's gaze until it landed on the youngest member of the team. He was curled up in a protective position but there was no mistaking what Morgan meant. Between the top of Reid's pants and the bottom of his sweater vest that had crept upward, was a very large, very purple bruise. Hotch frowned, a bruise that size would have had to come from a very powerful collision. Hotch tried to remember the last case and whether or not Reid would have any reason to have it. Unfortunately he remembered that Reid did all the research last case and was in the field very little. Hotch's face took on a look of anger for only a second before putting his mask back in place.

"I'm sure if it was important Morgan, he would have told us about it." Hotch said while resuming looking at the file, if only now to try and take his mind off Reid.

"That's just it Hotch! He _doesn't_ talk to us anymore, he rarely hangs out with us, Reid and I haven't hung out outside of work in over a month. Hotch _come on_, the bruises on his body, how closed off he's become, sleeping curled in on himself in a defensive position, we all know the signs. He's being abused Hotch. His personal life is-"

"Just that. Personal." Hotch interrupted "If he needs help, he will come to us."

"I can tell by the look in your eyes that even _you_ don't believe that. We need to help him, before he ends up in the hospital. You can talk to him…"

"Morgan, I'm his superior, I don't discuss personal life with my employees. Now, what we need to do is focus on the job and figure out who is dumping young men in the Ochlocknee River."

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><p>Morgan ended up rooming with Reid for the duration of the case and slowly, the walls that Reid had built, began to fall apart.<p>

It was a long night talking with the sheriff about the newest victim, most everyone had left early to get some sleep, including Reid. So Morgan wondered why, as he took out his key to enter the room, he heard Reid talking.

"No…I'm rooming with Morgan…It's not like that, he's just my friend…yes, sir…sorry sir…please, you know it's not like that…stop it…I'm _not_ a filthy whore…no, I'm not calling you a liar, I just…yes sir…" Reid's voice weakened to a whimper. "Okay, yes, I'll call you in the morning…please stop calling me that…yes sir, goodnight." Reid hung up the phone and his head fell.

Morgan entered the room and saw Reid sitting on the edge of his bed, fists clenched, head hung low, face squeezed in pain, trying and failing to hold back the tears. Reid was crying, silently, and this worried Morgan more than anything.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?" Morgan went and kneeled in front of him, in such a hurry he left the door cracked open. Reid's knees sank to the floor, forehead resting against Morgan's shoulder, hands clenched in his sleeves, sobbing. Morgan wrapped his arms around his friend, he wasn't sure how long he sat there but he heard a knock, and saw Hotch slowly open the door.

"Reid? Morgan? Your door is open are you okay?" Hotch stilled as he saw the sight before him. "Spencer?"

"Hey Hotch." Morgan said softly "Yea, it's just been a rough day for all of us, just leave the files on the table for me okay?" Morgan said knowing very well that the files were not for him, but added it for Reid's sake, hoping to lessen his embarrassment in the morning. Hotch looked reluctant, but left, softly closing the door behind him.

"Reid, we need to talk." Morgan said gently, his best friend nodding in response.

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><p>Morgan offered to ride with Hotch the next morning to the local station.<p>

"I talked to Reid last night. Hotch, it's bad. If I didn't know any better I would think Reid had been in the hands of an UnSub."

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked worry etched on his face.

"He told me about his boyfriend, how the abuse started slowly and escalated. I asked to see his back, telling him I saw the bruise when he was asleep. He was reluctant, but he took his shirt off to show me. His chest and back are littered with bruises, he had quite a few cuts on his chest. Apparently his boyfriend" Morgan spat the word "decided to try some blood play with Reid, without his consent. He was tied up at the time and couldn't defend himself."

"But Spencer is okay?" Hotch asked

"Yeah. Yeah, Reid is fine." Morgan watched as Hotch relaxed at his reassurance. Did his boss even realize his slip?

"Why on earth is Reid still with him?" Hotch asked

"Reid said that he's scared to end it. Says that it feels like being with Henkel all over again, he feels helpless. I told him that I would be there for support when he called it off. He cried himself to sleep in my arms."

"Okay, at least we know that Reid is aware of the danger he is in. There's nothing to do now but focus on the case." Hotch said as he pulled into the station.

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><p>The twelve days past by rather smoothly, the UnSub didn't cover his tracks as well as most serial killers do; and one clue led to another which led to another and now the bad guy was in jail.<p>

The jet was on its way back to Quantico, the team was exhausted and most of them were asleep with the exception of Hotch and Morgan. Hotch was busy writing his report on what happened when he watched Morgan cover Reid with a blanket in the back most seats of the jet. Hotch began typing away as he saw Morgan approach him.

"You're worried about Reid."

"I worry about all of my team, Morgan. You know that."

"I'm not saying that you don't, I just think that maybe you care about Reid a bit more than the rest of us." Morgan said. He watch as Hotch stiffened and closed his laptop, glaring at him.

"What are you trying to say Morgan?"

"I'm just stating the facts and you can write me up later if you want, I don't care, but just hear me out. I know that you care for all of us, I really do, but the care you have for him is so completely different. I think that even before Haley left, your heart was straying elsewhere. You didn't mean for it to, sometimes love is funny like that. I've seen the way your face lights up at the smile Pretty Boy give you when you bring him his coffee. I've seen how you are the only one of the team who never asks him to be quiet, even if he is rambling off statistics and numbers. And I've seen how you let his first name slip when your emotions are running high. I think after the divorce, you were afraid of your new feelings. So you pushed them away, ashamed because he is too young, or because it's against policy, or any other number of reasons. But you know what I think? I think that maybe Reid needs more than just a friend, and if you can provide that for him, then I won't interfere. Just think about it."

"Are you done, Morgan?" Hotch glared at the man with an intensity that the team rarely witnessed.

"Yes, Sir."

"This highly inappropriate conversation is over, and will not be breached again. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Sir." Morgan got up and went to the back of the plane. His best friends was tossing and turning in his sleep. "Reid. Wake up you're just having a nightmare." Reid nodded and said his thanks, trying to go back into a nightmare-free sleep as Morgan went to find his own spot on the plane to sleep.

Aaron Hotchner just finished his report after 90 minutes of struggling to finish it with all the distraction on his mind. He looked at his watch; they would be landing in two hours. He watched his team sleeping, noticing how Reid was curling closer on himself and whimpering, face shut in pain. _He must be having another nightmare_ thought Hotch. He looked to Morgan but he was asleep as well, with his headphones on, he hated waking the man to simply wake Reid. Hotch walked over and bent in front of Reid, shaking his shoulder,

"Reid, Reid, wake up." Hotch backed up a bit as Reid gasped and was looking around. "You're on the BAU jet flying back from Georgia."

"Hotch?"

"Yea, it's me, you're safe now." Hotch watched as Reid's eyes relaxed at those words, and Hotch couldn't help when his hand stayed on the beautiful mans shoulder a little longer than necessary. The tall dark man stood up and turned around when he heard his name.

"Hotch? Would you…um…would you sit near me? Just until I fall asleep?" Hotch was going to comment on how it was inappropriate, but when he turned around to see the doctor's pleading eyes, he stilled. His will broke with the sad "please?" that Reid added. Hotch nodded and sat down near Spencer's head.

"Just try and get some sleep, okay?" Hotch asked. In a matter of minutes the youngest agent was asleep and Hotch found himself running his fingers through the chestnut hair, almost on the brink of sleep himself. Reid stirred a little and moved to lay his head in the man's lap. Hotch stilled at this, but continued to run his fingers through the hair he had come to love, and slowly sank to his own sleep with a smile on his lips.

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><p>"Aaron. Aaron, wake up." Hotch opened his deep set eyes and looked around, the team was getting off the plane. He looked in his lap and saw Reid fast asleep, he looked so at peace; hating to wake him he shook the young man's shoulders reluctantly. Reid woke and stretched and looked to his boss.<p>

"Sleep well?"

"Yea…um…thanks." Reid grabbed his go bag and got ready to get off the plane seeing Hotch following close behind.

J.J., Prentiss, and Rossi got into one vehicle which left Morgan, Hotchner and Reid with the last one. All three men entered the SUV.

"Reid, Ill drop you off at your place and then I can drive Morgan to his."

"Sure thing." Reid said worried about the reaction he would get to coming home late at night and two days later than anticipated. Would his boyfriend be home waiting for him?

Nearly 40 minutes later Reid was getting out of the SUV, grabbing his coat and satchel, he said goodnight to his colleagues, promising to meet up tomorrow morning at 8 for breakfast. He unlocked the front door to his apartment and hung his bag and coat on the door. Reid walked into the living room and saw Michael sitting on his couch, seething with anger.

"So you finally decided to come home?" The large man asked, muscles straining under his thin shirt.

"I got here as soon as I could, we only closed the case a few hours ago." Michael stormed from the couch and pulled the man close to him.

"Michael, we need to talk." Reid said trying to appear strong.

"I don't like the sound of that." Michael said glaring at him. Reid adjusted himself so he was facing Michael on the couch, after he put his bag in his room and the gun in the safe.

"I think that you need to get some help for your anger, some therapy, something. You aren't the same man I knew when we started seeing each other. I don't know what changed but I can't be with you if you continue to hurt me." Reid said, wondering if the man even heard him. Reid was so scared he wondered if anything he said was understandable in his quickly said speech. He saw Michaels eyes squeeze shut in anger, yes, the man definitely heard him.

"You ungrateful swine!" Michael brought his hand up and smacked the man in front of him so hard he fell off the couch. "After ALL I've done for you, THIS IS THE THANKS I GET!" Michael stood over the younger man and kicked him in the stomach. Reid moaned, holding in the scream he desperately wanted to let out. He clutched his stomach and shakily stood.

"You have done nothing but tell me I am weak, that I deserved what I got. But guess what, I don't deserve any of the horrible things you have done to me. And…and you don't deserve me! Get out of my apartment."

"Oh no, _doctor_." The man smirked at his sarcasm "You have a long night ahead of you." Michael punched Reid in the face and his ring caused a deep bleeding wound dragging down the side of his left cheek. Reid fell to the floor hitting his head on the coffee table in the process, he was dizzy, but lucid as Michael dragged him by his wrists up the stairs and to the guest bedroom. Reid tried to stay aware of what was happening, he watched as Michael locked him into an under-the-bed restraints system, securely locking his ankles and wrists. Reid watched as the man took out a bag, he reached inside it and pulled out a small scalpel and a flogging cane. Reid's dizziness was suddenly gone, replaced with worry. He watched as Michael undressed himself and crawled to Spencer's lap, pulling his slacks down as he whimpered.

"Please, stop." Reid begged, but the man above him only took the length into his mouth and smirked at him.

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><p>"Hey Hotch, Reid left his go bag in the back seat. It's only a ten minute drive back."<p>

"We can give it to him in the morning."

"Yea, but he was going to put the letter to his mother in the mail tonight since he didn't have time before we took off."

Hotch sighed, knowing how important his letters to his mothers were. "Okay." Hotch said as he pulled a u-turn at the nearest intersection.

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><p>"Why aren't you responding?" the man yelled<p>

"Because this hurts. Please. I don't like this."

"I think you need to be punished." Michael said as he reached for the scalpel, joy evident on his face as he dragged it across the pale skin of the man below him. He cut again and again and again, the body below him littered with at least a dozen cuts. He looked at the bleeding torso and climbed onto Spencer's lap, he began to lick up the blood, making sure to stick his tongue in farther. The hisses in pain from the man below him spurned him on, he began bucking up against the body below him, his erection rubbing against the hip. He stilled as his orgasm washed over him, shooting his seed on the chest below him, mixing with the blood. Spencer was nauseous, trying to control his emotions, survival kicking in.

"Scream for me." Michael demanded, growing angry as the restrained man steeled his eyes and clenched his mouth shut.

"I said SCREAM FOR ME!" The man yelled as he brought the thin cane down on the cuts he caused earlier, causing them to bleed even more. Spencer couldn't hold it back anymore.

"AAAAHHHH!"

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><p>Morgan began walking to the door with his friend's go bag in his hand, he heard screaming from inside. He signaled to Hotch who got out of the vehicle, the older man removing his gun, taking the cue from Morgan. He silently ran up the steps and asked what was wrong.<p>

"There's screaming coming from inside; and something doesn't feel right Hotch." Morgan said looking to his superior for guidance.

"We are going to go in silently, guns hidden from view and act like we belong, nothing out of the ordinary. Morgan use the key Reid gave you." Morgan nodded and silently opened the door to the apartment, the screams became louder. They cleared the living room and followed the screams.

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><p>"Beg for it, like the whore you are! You know you want it!"<p>

"Stop, please, stop." Reid begged, crying, as the cane was brought down on his skin again

"AAAHHHHH!" Michael back-handed Reid of the right side of his face.

"Stop SCREAMING!" Michael said as he grabbed the man's jaw, squeezing hard. "Tell me how much you like it, how much you deserve it." Reid saw red, he didn't deserve any of this, his best friend had told him so, and Morgan _never_ lied. Reid heard a noise but disregarded it as he spit in Michaels face, just before a hard blow landed to his ribs, knocking the wind out of him, hoping he was imagining the cracking noise it made.

"FBI! DOWN ON THE GROUND!" Michael just turned around, surprised at the sudden appearance of the other officers.

"Down on the ground, scumbag!" Morgan yelled, noticing the man's eyes pass over him and focus on Hotch.

"SSA Hotchner. Mmm, Spencer was right, you are a prime cut of meat." Michael looked intrigued.

"ON THE GROUND! YOU WILL NOT BE TOLD AGAIN." Hotchner yelled.

"All work and no play makes Spencer a bad boy." Michael pulled the scalpel off the table and turned to face Reid.

Reid watched as the fist that held the scalpel aimed at his stomach, then, Michael's body stilled as a shot rang through the room. The body of his ex-boyfriend fell in front of him, he stared at the space the body was in and saw the one person he always dreamed of

"Aaron" Reid said before his face squeezed shut in pain and tears cascaded down to the sheets below him.

"Spencer"

Morgan handcuffed the man by the bed as he watched Hotch run up to the young genius and unlock the restraints. The older man pulled Reid onto his lap and held him close.

"Spencer, oh God, Spencer." Hotch whispered. Morgan got a blanket off the nearly chair and draped it over the youngest agents bare body.

"I'll call the local PD and tell them to bring an ambulance" Morgan said as he turned around to give Reid some privacy.

Hotch worried when Spencer brought his hands up to his eyes and sobbed.

"I…I…I thought that…I had finally found someone who loved me." Reid sobbed as Hotch pulled his face up to his. Hotch looked into his eyes, searching for something, he pushed the hair away from the angelic face he had known for so long.

"You did. You did find someone who loves you, and I'm never leaving you again." Hotch said as he pulled Spencer's lips to his own. Reid closed his eyes and enjoyed the brief, yet passionate kiss. It was even better than he dreamed.

"I love you, Spencer." Hotch said with a soft look in his harsh eyes

"I love you too, Aaron."

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><p>Review and response, but no flames please, you were warned.<p> 


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